Synthesis of novel copolymer：Poly(p-dioxanone-co-L-phenylalanine)

In order to expand the application of poly(p-dioxanone) or PPDO in biomedical area,a series of novel copolymers were synthesized successfully by one-step,melted copolymerization of p-dioxanone(PDO) and L-phenylalanine N-carboxyanhydride(L-Phe-NCA) monomers.With the in-feed molar ratio of L-PheNCA /PDO equal to 1/20,the conversions of the two kinds of monomers were calculated from ~1H NMR. The average molecular weight and polydispersity of the copolymer increase with the increasing reaction time and catalyst concentration.However,the conversions of the two kinds of monomers did not change with the reaction conditions.A three-step mechanism is presented and proved by high resolution ~1H NMR and IR spectrums.     

Identification of metabolites in WZS‐miniature pig urine after oral administration of Danshen decoction by HPLC coupled with diode array detection with electrospray ionization tandem ion trap and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Danshen (DS) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. A simple, rapid and sensitive method was developed for identification of the in vivo metabolites in urine of WZS‐miniature pigs after oral administration of DS decoction by HPLC coupled with diode array detection with electrospray ionization tandem ion trap and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. This method has been successfully applied to simultaneous identification of 50 compounds (including 11 new ones) in pig urine. In addition, one new compound, (3‐hydroxyphenyl) crylic acid glycine methyl ester (C1), along with eight known ones were first isolated by column chromatography and identified by spectroscopic means, including 1D/2DNMR and mass spectrometry, as reference substances. Ten phenolic compounds (protocatechuic aldehyde, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, danshensu, ferulic acid, isoferulic acid, rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid A/B/D) were found to be the main absorbed original constituents of DS decoction, which underwent the metabolic reactions of glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, hydrogenation and glycine conjugation in vivo. In conclusion, the developed method is applicable to the analysis and identification of constituents in biological matrices after administration of DS decoction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Turbulence modelling and role of compressibility on oil spilling from a damaged double hull tank

The viscosity plays an important role, and a multiphase solver is necessary to numerically simulate the oil spilling from a damaged double hull tank (DHT). However, it is uncertain whether turbulence modelling is necessary, which turbulence model is suitable; and what the role of compressibility of the fluids is. This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations to address these issues for various cases representing different scenarios of the oil spilling, including grounding and collision. In the numerical investigations, various approaches to model the turbulence, including the large eddy simulation (LES), direct numerical simulation and the Reynolds average Navier–Stokes equation (RANS) with different turbulence models, are employed. Based on the investigations, it is suggested that the effective Reynolds numbers corresponding to both oil outflow and water inflow shall be considered when classifying the significance of the turbulence and selecting the appropriate turbulence models. This is confirmed by new lab tests considering the axial offset between the internal and the external holes on two hulls of the DHT. The investigations conclude for numerically simulating oil spilling from a damaged DHT that when the effective Re is smaller the RANS approaches should not be used and LES modelling should be employed; while when the effective Reynolds numbers is large, the RANS models may be used as they can give similar results to LES in terms of the height of the mixture in the ballast tank and discharge but costing much less CPU time. The investigation on the role of the compressibility of the fluid reveals that the compressibility of the fluid may be considerable in a small temporal‐spatial scale but plays an insignificant role on macroscopic process of the oil spilling. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification and pharmacokinetics of Taiwanin E methyl ether in rats by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

This study firstly describes the development of an accurate and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) assay for the quantification of Taiwanin E methyl ether (TEME) in rat plasma. The assay involved a simple liquid–liquid extraction step with ethyl acetate and a gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of water containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid. Chromatographic separation was successfully achieved on an Agilent Zorbax‐C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 3.5 µm) with a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The multiple reaction monitoring was based on the transitions of m/z = 379.1 → 320.1 for TEME and 386.1 → 122.0 for buspirone (internal standard). The assay was validated to demonstrate the specificity, linearity, recovery, accuracy, precision and stability. The lower limit of quantification was 0.50 ng/mL in 50 μL of rat plasma. The developed and validated method was successfully applied to the quantification and pharmacokinetic study of TEME in rats after intravenous and oral administration of 1.45 mg/kg TEME. The oral absolute bioavailability of TEME was estimated to be 5.85 ± 1.41% with an elimination half‐life value of 2.61 ± 0.55 h, suggesting its poor absorption and/or strong metabolism in vivo. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fast analysis of triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum spores by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A rapid and reliable method was established for simultaneous determination of main triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum spores using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC‐TQ‐MS). The established method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability, and was successfully applied to determine the contents of 10 main triterpenoids in different batches of G. lucidum spores. The analysis results showed that moderate levels of triterpenoids were found in G. lucidum spores. In addition, a MS full scan with a daughter ion scan experiment was performed to identify the potential derivatives of triterpenoids present in G. lucidum spores. As a result, a total of 22 triterpenoids from different G. lucidum spores were unequivocally or tentatively identified via comparisons with authentic standards and literatures. This method provides both qualitative and quantitative results without the need for repetitive UPLC‐MS analyses, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity, making it suitable for high‐throughput applications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.